Barnes should have left for UCLA

#201
#201
TVOL71 said:
In 2018, the Vols lost by ONE point to a team that made the final four. This year they lost in overtime to Purdue, who lost in overtime to Virginia, the National Champions. That's a pretty good record to me. Perhaps Barnes can tune up his motivational speaches before big games a little, but they were really close to winning out each year. Don't see much room for any true VOL fan to complain.
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I think we needed better refs and probably made final four or championship. Certainly would have won the SEC.
 
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#202
#202
Sara Clark said:
A person can agree or disagree with my opinion, that's how life works. I don't however like what I said to be misquoted or characterized in a manner in which it was not intended. Below is my original quote. In NO way did I demand anything. In fact, if someone takes the time to read my quote to listen and not argue, I say words such as "I think," and "Does he have to....NO" In NO way did I demand anything. Only expressing my opinion. Again, you can agree or disagree...I really don't care. But DO NOT take what I said out of context.



I don't think Barnes runs in to trouble living up to the fan base expectations vs. salary. Where I do think he runs in to some problems....most of the fan base bleed orange, live, and breath it. We expect the same from our coaches. I think he should hold a presser telling us what was going on in his mind. ? Does he have to? No! Should he....YES! I'll be the first to admit, I'm not holding him in the highest regard today, it's nothing to do with coaching, it's him personally. Him leaving would surely put the nail in the coffin with both Bone and Williams. Not to mention the recruits that have verbally committed. Outside looking in...he was willing to screw TN...for what? Money!
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I don't think Barnes possibly going to UCLA had anything to do with money. I guess you could say it was one of his " dream" jobs. He had a friendship with the late John Wooden and while we might not think of UCLA as a blue blooded program due to their lack of recent success, it is still the program with the most National Championships in the history of college be. Rumor is Barnes went to Fulmer on Sunday and told him " I'm leaving for UCLA". Fulmer asked Barnes to give him 12 hours and I'm sure Barnes never thought Fulmer would come back with the offer he did. I think it was more about being appreciated and feeling like basketball was important which would have obviously happened on the west coast. Fulmers counter offer showed Barnes that UT DOES care about men's Basketball. In my opinion, Fulmer just saved our basketball program from entering the abyss yet once again. Sometimes it takes spending money to make money.
 
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#203
#203
TVOL71 said:
In 2018, the Vols lost by ONE point to a team that made the final four. This year they lost in overtime to Purdue, who lost in overtime to Virginia, the National Champions. That's a pretty good record to me. Perhaps Barnes can tune up his motivational speaches before big games a little, but they were really close to winning out each year. Don't see much room for any true VOL fan to complain.
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It was pretty obvious Virginia, Tennessee and Purdue were all about equal and any of the 3 could have won the tourney. It just so happened that UVA got the breaks and luck it takes to win it all. They could have easily been beaten by Purdue who could have easily been beaten by UT
 
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#204
#204
Sara Clark said:
A person can agree or disagree with my opinion, that's how life works. I don't however like what I said to be misquoted or characterized in a manner in which it was not intended. Below is my original quote. In NO way did I demand anything. In fact, if someone takes the time to read my quote to listen and not argue, I say words such as "I think," and "Does he have to....NO" In NO way did I demand anything. Only expressing my opinion. Again, you can agree or disagree...I really don't care. But DO NOT take what I said out of context.



I don't think Barnes runs in to trouble living up to the fan base expectations vs. salary. Where I do think he runs in to some problems....most of the fan base bleed orange, live, and breath it. We expect the same from our coaches. I think he should hold a presser telling us what was going on in his mind. ? Does he have to? No! Should he....YES! I'll be the first to admit, I'm not holding him in the highest regard today, it's nothing to do with coaching, it's him personally. Him leaving would surely put the nail in the coffin with both Bone and Williams. Not to mention the recruits that have verbally committed. Outside looking in...he was willing to screw TN...for what? Money!
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I don’t like to pick battles on here. Mostly all of us want the same thing. I just think it’s semantics. You didn’t say “demand” but you clearly would prefer he explain what he did. Not a big deal.
 
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#206
#206
Regardless if you think Barnes staying was good or bad, he's here and we should all support him. The time may or may not come when it's time to move on, but until that time he's our coach, so let's support him.
 
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#208
#208
Sara Clark said:
I don't think Barnes runs in to trouble living up to the fan base expectations vs. salary. Where I do think he runs in to some problems....most of the fan base bleed orange, live, and breath it. We expect the same from our coaches. I think he should hold a presser telling us what was going on in his mind. Does he have to? No! Should he....YES! I'll be the first to admit, I'm not holding him in the highest regard today, it's nothing to do with coaching, it's him personally. Him leaving would surely put the nail in the coffin with both Bone and Williams. Not to mention the recruits that have verbally committed. Outside looking in...he was willing to screw TN...for what? Money!
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I had those same feelings as well. I was a bit confused as I thought he was here to stay for the duration. I think Tennessee softened the blow after Texas....maybe even thought he was a bit indebted to us. Also, the fact that another coaching change would be a negative yet again. I knew he knew that, but still he seemed to take the offer to the edge. Everyone has the right to make decisions based on their particular situation, yet something was gnawing at Barnes.
 
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#209
#209
I'm kind of late to this party.

I could not disagree more with the OP. Our expectations are within reality. We aren't a blue blood, however Barnes can get us consistently to the NCAA tournament. Which is why I support him and millions of other Vol fans do the same.
 
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#210
#210
1985Vols said:
I don't think Barnes possibly going to UCLA had anything to do with money. I guess you could say it was one of his " dream" jobs. He had a friendship with the late John Wooden and while we might not think of UCLA as a blue blooded program due to their lack of recent success, it is still the program with the most National Championships in the history of college be. Rumor is Barnes went to Fulmer on Sunday and told him " I'm leaving for UCLA". Fulmer asked Barnes to give him 12 hours and I'm sure Barnes never thought Fulmer would come back with the offer he did. I think it was more about being appreciated and feeling like basketball was important which would have obviously happened on the west coast. Fulmers counter offer showed Barnes that UT DOES care about men's Basketball. In my opinion, Fulmer just saved our basketball program from entering the abyss yet once again. Sometimes it takes spending money to make money.
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I think UT would have been able to land a quality coach. The fan response, packing TBA and traveling doesn’t go unnoticed. UT fans have shown time and time again that they will support b-ball. I question whether Barnes can live up to the money. He did amazing work with a rag tag bunch, but this is the 3rd highest paid gig in the land now.

UCLA isn’t anywhere near the job it was and there is a ton of peripheral issues to deal with there. I’m surprised he entertained it like he did.
 
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#212
#212
I’m just not mentally ready right now to live another massive cluster-UCk called a Tennessee coaching hire. Pay him $10mil if necessary.
 
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#216
#216
volgr said:
They won't have to wait long. Barnes has a 30+ year track record filled with missed opportunities. This year, he took one of the most talented TN teams in school history and came away with nothing to show for it.
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Which is like saying Stoops took one of the most talented KY teams in school history and came away with nothing to show for it.
It means nothing without the context that a most talented team at TN is a rarity in absolute terms; a very good but not necessarily elite team.
 
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#221
#221
1985Vols said:
I don't think Barnes possibly going to UCLA had anything to do with money. I guess you could say it was one of his " dream" jobs. He had a friendship with the late John Wooden and while we might not think of UCLA as a blue blooded program due to their lack of recent success, it is still the program with the most National Championships in the history of college be. Rumor is Barnes went to Fulmer on Sunday and told him " I'm leaving for UCLA". Fulmer asked Barnes to give him 12 hours and I'm sure Barnes never thought Fulmer would come back with the offer he did. I think it was more about being appreciated and feeling like basketball was important which would have obviously happened on the west coast. Fulmers counter offer showed Barnes that UT DOES care about men's Basketball. In my opinion, Fulmer just saved our basketball program from entering the abyss yet once again. Sometimes it takes spending money to make money.
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How did it work out for the last coach who left UT for SoCal and a dream job ....??
 
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#222
#222
spyfish007 said:
How did it work out for the last coach who left UT for SoCal and a dream job ....??
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Comparing any situation with coaches is immaculately stupid.

I can't even fathom how you can write with a straight face that question......

Kiffin's dream job with USC... The main thing that hurt UT outside of him leaving was Mike Hamilton's dumbass writing a cheap buyout for USC of 900K in his contract.


Barnes leaving for UCLA would have meant that he did what he was expected to in rebuilding and stabilizing the program at UT. Kiffin bolted after one year.

They are nothing alike. Smh
 
#224
#224
spyfish007 said:
And here is where your first assumption goes wrong. You seem a little high strung, so I am going to exit this conversation.
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If Barnes didn't stabilize and turnaround the program, he gets zero looks at the UCLA job.

Kiffin had a 7-6 year in which he had Bama on the ropes and got offered his dream job that was about to undergo massive issues with the NCAA

There is zero comparison
 
#225
#225
Barnes’ problems from here on out are 100% due to his inability to realize that it was a really bad idea to basically tell the entire fanbase that he was ready to bolt but the check just wasn’t big enough from UCLA. Another load of “dream job” crap. All he had to do was say, “I’m still the head coach of Tennessee, and this is where I want to be.” Less is more.

It wasn’t because Tennessee kept him here. It was because UCLA seems to have walked away from paying his large buyout. Can’t expect a fanbase that is this passionate and that still suffers from paranoia due to the Lane Kiffin exit to react well to what Barnes said. Not a very wise move.

I’m grateful to Barnes for the success the last two seasons ... let’s face it: there hasn’t been much to get excited about lately in UT sports (and in men’s basketball, not much in our history, period). But the guy must be pretty dense if he thought there wouldn’t be a fairly big negative reaction. Maybe he doesn’t care. Who knows?
 
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